Administrative Division

Chile is administratively divided into 15 regions. North to south, these are:

Regions are headed by regional governors (Intendentes) appointed by the President and are divided into 50 provinces, each headed in turn by a provincial governor (Gobernador), also a presidential appointee.

Chile’s 341 municipal governments are headed by mayors and a various number of councilors elected to four-year terms.

The Climate: A Unique Range

Chile’s sheer breadth of geographical diversity surprises visitors, inviting them to explore what surely counts among the world’s widest array of climates in a single country —from a desert north with steep temperature differentials (30° C-86º F day, 0° C-32º F night) to damp rainforests in the south to central valleys with mild Mediterranean weather and well-defined seasons.

Such a wide diversity of climates stands as a great advantage to local agricultural producers, who grow a truly unique array of fruits and vegetables under world-class standards of quality.